Health Canada has approved the first generic version of Ozempic, the brand-name diabetes drug made by Danish pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk.
According to the department, it is the first generic semaglutide approved in Canada and the first authorized in any G7 country.
Health Canada said it is also reviewing eight other generic semaglutide submissions from different companies and expects to make additional regulatory decisions in the coming weeks and months.
Semaglutide is a GLP-1 receptor agonist that mimics a naturally occurring hormone to help regulate blood sugar, reduce appetite, and slow gastric emptying. It is sold under various brand names for the treatment of Type 2 diabetes, chronic weight management, and the reduction of cardiovascular risk in some adults.
The approval comes amid strong demand for semaglutide-based medicines in Canada and globally, driven by their growing use in diabetes treatment and weight management. It also follows the expiry of Ozempic’s main data exclusivity and patent protections in Canada on Jan. 4, 2026.
Health Canada said generic medicines in Canada are typically 45 to 90 percent less expensive than brand-name equivalents, offering the potential for savings for patients and the health care system.
“It’s rare that we see a single medication shift prescribing and public spending growth trends the way that Ozempic has so quickly,” Tracy Johnson, CIHI’s director of health spending, said in a statement. “This drug is changing how chronic conditions like diabetes and obesity are managed and shows how rapidly new therapies can reshape both treatments and cost pressures on health systems.”
Health Canada did not specify when the generic version would become commercially available or what price it would carry in Canada.
